Digital integrated equipment incorporated various functions has appeared in recent year. This integrated equipment may include business machines such as a facsimile, a printer and a scanner incorporated therein. Such integrated equipment is applied to various places, because it can carry out various desired operations thou it is a single unit. There is digital integrated equipment having a function with which it is possible to recognize (know) the history in use of this equipment by specifying (authenticating) the users by their ID cards or the like.
It is difficult to expand or add new functions of this equipment, a scanner function for example, corresponding to the frequencies in use, because different functions are incorporated in the equipment as one unit.
On the other hand, as computers (personal computers) have come into wide use, it has become possible to serve functions similar to those of the digital integrated equipment by connecting printers, scanners, facsimile modems and/or other peripheral devices to the computers.
It has also become possible to inexpensively install to networks for interconnecting computers etc. This has made it possible to share the peripheral devices interconnected via each computer with other computers.
Thus, the techniques for sharing the peripheral devices interconnected via a network have rapidly been spreading. It is easily expected that such a peripheral device will be a business machine network terminal having a basic function and a network function, and that two or more users will share the terminal as a standalone device without a computer or the like intervening between them, as is already the case with some printers etc. If this terminal is a scanner, for example, its basic function is a scan function.
Against this background, it will be possible to materialize the functions of digital integrated equipment by connecting business machines independently to a network and making them cooperate with each other. This makes it possible to provide a distributed processing system including business machine network terminals. It is easy to expand the functions of this system and incorporate new functions therein.
FIG. 5 shows such a business machine network system 501, which includes business machine network terminals 502–505 connected through a network 507. The copy function of the system 501 involves first reading an image on the scanner 502. The scanner 502 transmits the read image as electronic data to the image processing server 503. The server 503 performs a series of operations (services), which include converting the received electronic data into an appropriate format, and outputting the converted data to the printer 504. The facsimile function of the system 501 involves reading an image on the scanner 502 likewise, and inputting the phone number of the object destination. The scanner 502 transmits the read image as electronic data to the server 503. The server 503 converts the received electronic data into a facsimile transmission format, and transmits the converted data to the facsimile modem 505. The modem 505 then transmits the received data to the object terminal through a telephone line 506. Thus, the business machine network terminals, each of which has only a basic function and a network function, cooperate for each service.
This business machine network system may not be object for general and personal use, but may be effective if it is shared by a large number of users in a relatively large-sized organization.
For example, there may be groups (or individuals) carrying out a series of projects in a business establishment, where the groups may use business machines in common. This situation would represent a common practice in an ordinary company. Since the groups can share the common business machines, one business machine is sufficient for each of serial operations. It is possible to freely expand the functions of the business machines in accordance with the purposes of the machines and/or the frequencies of the use of the machines in order to eliminate a bottleneck of the machines. Specifically, if the processing speed of the scanner is low, a new scanner can be added. Likewise, if the print speed of the printer is low, a new printer can be added. Otherwise, it is possible to introduce a color printer or another business machine having a new function.
In a hotel, for example, a scanner is installed in each room, and a such as a facsimile modem is installed in the front of the hotel. The data of original document read by the scanner can be transmitted via the transmitter to a facsimile or a printer. In other words, it is possible to provide a facsimile service or a copy service by merely equipping each room with an inexpensive unit having only scan and network functions. It is also possible to equip each room with a desired business machine in response to the guests' needs.
However, since the business machine network system has no means for comprehensively recognizing the use histories of the business machines used by the groups (or individuals), it is expected that it will not be possible to acquire information for specifying the bottleneck. One reason for this is that, because the conventional digital integrated equipment is integrally constructed and consequently lacks extensive flexibility, there is no need to specify the bottleneck in this equipment. Another reason is that, because the business machines of the business machine network system are connected, as independent or standalone units for serving only basic functions, to a network, the business machine network terminals need to cooperate with each other with a view to the above-mentioned function expansion, so that the control of the system may be more complex than that of the conventional digital integrated equipment, which is integrally constructed.
In order to use the full advantage of this business machine network system that the functions can be freely expanded, it is necessary to acquire information or the like for specifying the bottleneck. Only after specifying a bottleneck, it is possible to efficiently expand the associated function.
In order to calculate the expense of each project, it is necessary to record the using frequencies or the using time period of the group (or individual) for each project has used each business machine, and calculate the running costs etc. (e.g. expenses for paper and toners in the case of a printer) for each project. This should be a natural demand in the recent business style, which has been increasingly divided.
The business machines are independently connected to the network. Unlike the integrally constructed equipment, various combinations of business machine network terminals are used for different services. This makes it impossible to find the using time period for the business machine. As a result, it is impossible to calculate the expense of each project.
If a facsimile service or a copy service is provided for the rooms of a hotel, it is necessary to account (or charge) for the service in addition to the lodging. The accounting is processed merely manually at the hotel front under the existing circumstances.